For the Birds… and Bees!

Weeders and Seeders Garden Club Ligonier, PA

2017

Table of Contents

Title 1

Mission Statement 2

National, Regional, State & District VI Officers 3

Weeders and Seeders Club Officers 4

Membership Roster 5

An Open Garden Party 7

Club Programs, Presentations 8

Ongoing Community Projects

New Community Projects

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Note from a Co President 20

Cover Photo “Yellow Warbler with Pear Tree

Blossoms” courtesy of Marcy Cunkelman.

Weeders and Seeders Garden Club Ligonier, Pennsylvania

District VI 2017-2018

Organized 1982 Federated 1988

Theme: For the Birds… and Bees!

Membership: 14

Regular Monthly Meetings

When: Third Tuesday of each month Time: 6:00 P.M. Place: Ligonier Valley Library 120 W Main St, Ligonier, PA 15658

Dues: $25

Member of: Garden Club Federation of Pennsylvania 1525 Cedar Cliff Drive, Suite 103 Camp Hill, PA 17011-7707 717-737-8219 www.pagardenclubs.org Central Atlantic Region (CAR) www.carsgc.org National Garden Clubs, Inc. 4401 Magnolia Avenue Saint Louis, MO 63110 314-776-7574 www.gardenclub.org

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The Mission of Weeders and Seeders

Garden Club

• To stimulate the love of gardening by

promoting educational programs open to

the public

• To aid in the protection of native plants,

birds and pollinators

• To encourage civic planting and

beautification via local projects, thereby

increasing the club’s relevance and

visibility in the community

• To foster an interest in Floral Design

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National, Regional, and State Officers National Garden Clubs President Nancy L. Hargroves 1235 Dover Creek Lane Manakin Sabot, VA 23103-2532 Phone: 804-784-0109 (c) 804-363-0771 Theme: Plant America Projects: Grant Programs for Clubs Second Book for Youth Central Atlantic Region Director Regina Brown 116 N. Main St Smyma, DE 19977-1428 Phone: 302-670-8333 Garden Club Federation of PA President Christine Leskosky 1921 St. Joseph Drive Hazle Township, PA 18202-3076 Phone: 570-459-0239 (c) 570-956-7849 District VI Director Claire Hope Leichliter 221 Paradise Lane Bedford, PA 15522-6144 Phone: 814-356-3158 (c) 706-975-3776

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Weeders and Seeders Garden Club Officers Co-President: Paula Heming 107 Lake Drive, Ligonier, PA 15658 Phone: 724-238-3713 Co-President: Linda Santry 39 East 4th Avenue, Latrobe, PA 15650 Phone: 724-804-5152 Vice President: Mary Leppold 199 Old Distillery Rd. Stahlstown, PA 15687 Phone:724-593-3730 Secretary: Judy Ridgway 127 Timberlane Dr. Ligonier, PA 15658 Phone: 410-533-6465 Treasurer: Wilma Light, MD 515 Summit Avenue, Ligonier, PA. 15658 Phone: 724 238 7041

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Membership Roster

Diane Coleman 59 Ramsey Road Ligonier, PA 15658 Phone:724-238-5101 Kimberly Green 1655 Route 259 Ligonier, PA 15658 724-238-2069 Angela McDonnel 224 E. Main Street Ligonier, PA 15658 Phone: 724-238-9851 Bill Pieringer 114 Deerfield Road, Ligonier, PA 15658-9718 Phone: 724-238-7501 Lisa Pieringer 114 Deerfield Road, Ligonier, PA 15658-9718 Phone: 724-238-7501 Cynthia Shank P.O. Box 384 Bolivar, PA 15923 Phone: 724-676-5621

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Louise Sprowls 631 Gregg Avenue, Ligonier, PA 15658-1305 Phone: 724-238-2673 Linda Visosky 330 Franklin Street, Ligonier, PA 15658 Phone: 724-995-8211 Ann Woodall Box 216, Laughlintown, PA 15655 Phone: 724-238-5867

Weeders and Seeders membership is open

to all, and is not restricted by gender, age,

religious affiliation, or ethnicity.

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An Open Garden Party

Let’s plant our yards to lure the bees, butterflies and chickadees,

fill branches hosting grateful birds singing for joy in avian words.

Orioles and waxwings present their art noisily welcomed within our heart.

Meet with a thrush, its eyes like a fawn. Join larks and robins enjoying the lawn.

Too early for nighthawks, (they visit at night) and thrill with their cool call to please and delight.

Here flock tuneful finches. Some ravens, too. They’re not without homes, yet seek havens new.

You can wish hard for hummers, tiny and light, and instead get loud grackles whose size is less

slight. Let’s offer them flowers, some suet and seed.

Corn, millet and nectar are just what they need! Provide them a birdbath, a cover for nesting,

protection from all that could upset their resting.

These creatures indeed are a lovable lot. They bless us with more than we ever sought!

Angela McDonnell

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Club Programs / Presentations

Programs and presentations are selected in response to member and public requests and the club’s aim to further NGC goals and objectives.

March 21, 2017, 7 PM. Ligonier Valley Library:

“Colonial Gardens: Cultivating the Ingredients for

Sallets, Salmagundi, and Fried Cymlins.”

Jennifer Eppolito, a Penn State Master Gardener

who has been updating the Colonial Garden at the

Winnie Palmer Nature Center, will offer a slide

show presentation and teach us about Colonial

gardening practices and how they can be employed

in our own gardens today. We hope Jennifer’s

presentation will also include the proper

pronunciation of those words, and she has

generously agreed to bring samples for us to taste.

April 11, 2017, 7 PM, Ligonier Valley Library:

“Floral Design – Part I”

Mary Jo Gardill, member and former officer of the

Garden Club of Johnstown and Accredited Judge

with the Garden Club Federation of Pennsylvania,

will share her award winning floral design

techniques, beginning with the basics of floral

design. In addition to the hands-on demonstration,

many photos illustrating varied and unique designs

will be available to view. This is the first in a series

of design classes offered in preparation for our

Standard Flower Show in July.

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May 16, 2017, 7 PM, Ligonier Valley Library:

“Floral Design – Part II”

Mary Jo Gardill will build upon the information

shared in Part I, teaching more advanced floral

design concepts with hands-on demonstrations and

member participation. Attendees will bring samples

of their personal creations to view and discuss. In

addition, “How to Conduct and Participate in a

Standard Flower Show” handouts will be provided

by our own past Co-President, Angela McDonnell,

a Penn State Master Gardener and flower show

veteran.

June 13, 2017, 7 PM, Ligonier Valley Library:

“Propagation of Rhododendrons & Azaleas”

Eric Oesterling, a Horticulture Consultant and

retired Penn State Extension Agent, will be offering

a PowerPoint program on how to successfully

propagate and care for rhododendrons and

azaleas. We will also finish up our series on floral

design at 6:00 PM with, “Floral Design – Part III” by

Mary Lou Colussy. Her presentation will cover

conditioning and miniature designs, and tie together

all the skills we’ve learned to give us the confidence

to create attractive arrangements to enter in our

Flower Show.

July 18, 2017, 6 PM: Club fieldtrip to Root 22

Hydroponic & Garden Center

We’ll explore the benefits and techniques of

growing plants hydroponically and have the

opportunity to purchase all the supplies necessary

to try it out ourselves.

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July 29, 2017, 10 AM, Southern Alleghenies

Museum of Art:

Standard Flower Show

Flower Show Chairperson Angela McDonnell has

worked tirelessly to prepare for our first flower show

in several years. Our theme will be “For the

Birds…and Bees!” It will be open to the public and

promises to be an exciting and educational event

for all. A “Green Elephant Sale” fundraiser will also

take place, with orders taken for hypertufa troughs.

August 15, 2017, 7 PM, Ligonier Valley Library,

co-sponsored with the Loyalhanna Watershed

Association:

“Native Bees – Garden Superheroes”

Dr. Wilma Light, our Treasurer and past President,

is a Penn State Master Gardener and popular

speaker on a variety of topics pertaining to ecology

and gardening. This program includes a

PowerPoint presentation and handouts and will

teach us about providing the proper habitat to

attract and nurture native bees and the vital role

they play in our gardens and our world.

August 19, 2017, 5 PM:

“Gardens and Grub”

Our Club Picnic/Progressive Dinner will be held at

the homes of Club Secretary, Judy Ridgway, and

members Bill and Lisa Pieringer. After a tour of

their lush gardens, we can relax and enjoy a

covered dish picnic with club members, family and

friends.

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September 14, 2017, 6 PM, Nimick Family

Education Center, co-sponsored with the

Loyalhanna Watershed Association:

“Planting for Wildlife”

Joe Costello, Owner and Nursery Manager of

Friendship Farm, employs environmentally

sensitive farming practices to provide native trees,

shrubs, wildflowers and grasses that are

indigenous to our region. Joe will provide

handouts and share his expertise on planting to

attract and nurture the wildlife we want, as well as

tips on discouraging those we don’t. We’ll also take

a walking tour of the nearby Watershed Loop Trail

where we can identify some of the key native plants

in their natural habitat.

October 17, 2017, 7 PM, Nimick Family Education

Center, co-sponsored with the Loyalhanna

Watershed Association:

“Backyard Birds and Windows”

Luke DeGroote, Avian Ecologist and Bird Banding

Program Manager at Powdermill Nature Reserve,

will talk about Powdermill’s research into the

unfortunate phenomenon of bird strikes, and

explain the science of how and why they happen

and the latest technologies for preventing them.

The program will include both a PowerPoint

presentation and handouts.

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November 14, 2017, 7 PM, Ligonier Valley Library,

co-sponsored with the Loyalhanna Watershed

Association:

“Pets, Plants, Pests and Prevention of Problems”

Club member Henry L. Croft Jr., DVM has been

serving clients and their pets with quality veterinary

care since 1980. Dr. Croft will talk about ways you

and your pets can avoid deer ticks and the Lyme

disease they carry, as well as other parasites, and

what to do if we do encounter them. He’ll also

teach us why pets eat plants, which plants can

actually benefit them and which to avoid at all cost,

and what to do in the event your pet does make a

snack of your begonia. Visual aids will be used to

assist with identification.

December 5, 2017, 6 PM:

Club Holiday Party will be held at the home of Club

Secretary, Judy Ridgway.

Members and guests will gather to celebrate the

holiday season with a covered dish dinner and grab

bag gift exchange.

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Ongoing Community Projects

St. Clair Park As the eastern entrance to the borough of Ligonier, the St. Clair Park reflects welcoming colors, shade trees and a walking path. The community utilizes this park to relax on the benches and as a lovely sites for picture taking. Weeders and Seeders built a low wall to better define and protect the planting area and we maintain the annual and perennial flowers and shrubs. Valley Veterans Park This lovely, centrally located park was built upon the idea that Ligonier Valley was lacking a focal point to pay honor to its many military veterans. Dedicated in 2010, the site displays our Blue Star Memorial Marker, and is richly endowed with symbolism in its colors of roses and other flowers and siting of components such as sentinel pencil hollies Three benches provide places to rest and to contemplate the sacrifices and therefore the appreciation owed our many veterans. Ligonier Library Planters Container gardening is a favorite of many “Weeders”, so this was an easy responsibility to accept when planted containers were chosen to spark up the front of the library. The planters are filled, watered, trimmed as needed, deadheaded, and kept looking fine for the entire growing season.

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Ligonier Country Market Long an attraction to locals and out of towners alike, as the market grew, Weeders and Seeders and Penn State Extension Master Gardeners began to beautify the area surrounding the booths, adding bird and bee houses, raised beds, a patio to accommodate wheelchairs, stepping-stones and markers, and hand fashioned garden troughs planted with perennials. A children’s garden was also added, which the children help to plant and later harvest (and paint the pumpkins). The club is a “feature” twice a season, answering questions and offering children’s activities. The addition of native plants to support wildlife is an ongoing project and interest. To further that objective, our Treasurer, Dr. Wilma Light, was awarded a grant from the Ligonier Valley Education Trust in the amount of $400 to help fund the Native Habitat Enhancement Project, in conjunction with the Loyalhanna Watershed Association.

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The Chamber of Commerce Welcome Sign Placed at the entrance to Ligonier from the west, the garden is planted with colorful annuals and perennials. The easily seen sign and garden was accepted as a club task as another instance of club commitment to community and civic planning, with members deciding the components of the planting area. YMCA Gardens The “Y” gardens started out as a favorite project, primarily because there was something for everyone. Since its humble beginnings, the “Y” property has seen many changes, including the addition of a children’s garden, and most recently, a major construction project affecting half the property. The children’s area received new raised beds, and now that the new construction is complete, we look forward to helping plan and maintain the new beds. Fort Ligonier Days Float Members designed and constructed a float entry for the annual Fort Ligonier Days parade. The 2016 theme of “A Time to Remember” was reinvented as “A Thyme to Remember”, and our medieval garden float won 4th prize.

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The Festival of Lights It is a Christmas time celebration enjoyed by the community. The “Weeders” creative project is donated to the auction. Our decorated tree sells early in the auction, always at a price greater than the cost to produce it. Chamber of Commerce Scarecrow Contest “Flora” graced the Ligonier Diamond during the annual scarecrow contest, making friends and promoting the club.

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Charities A number of local charities have benefitted from club donations of cash, product, and/or volunteer hours. The organizations include Ligonier Food Bank, Ligonier Valley Society of Churches, Salvation Army, YMCA, Blue Bird habitat, Ligonier Valley Library, the 6 community gardens the club maintains, and children’s activities at Country Market. Scholarships Weeders and Seeders awarded two $500 scholarships last year to worthy college students who are pursuing careers in horticulture/forestry related fields, and will continue to seek qualified candidates for future scholarship awards.

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New Community Projects Pumpkin Spice Event Club members participated in the first annual “Pumpkin Spice” event sponsored by the Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce. Participants got to sample our homemade pumpkin muffins and received information on club activities and membership. Facebook Page Our Facebook page, “Weeders and Seeders of Ligonier”, has brought our club to the attention of a whole new audience. It features our programs, meetings, and a variety of interesting and educational gardening related tips and articles. It currently boasts nearly 200 members and has often reached over 800 people in a single day.

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Reminiscences of a Co-President Linda and I joined the Weeders & Seeders Garden Club on the same night. Neither of us meant to. We were just there for the program. Or so we told ourselves when we left our respective homes that evening. An hour later, we were dues paying members assigned to the same garden committee. That’s how it all began. How did we get here? We come from very different backgrounds. My roots run deep in this valley. My ancestors immigrated to the Ligonier Valley over 200 years ago and we’ve apparently seen no reason to leave. Linda, on the other hand, is a welcome new addition to our community. After living many places, she and her husband chose Ligonier as their retirement locale, and we will be forever grateful they did. So what was it that compelled both of us, despite our firm intentions to the contrary, to join this merry little band of gardeners? Well, I can’t say for sure, but I think we both felt something special from the moment we walked into that very first meeting. We felt a family. A family joined not by blood and DNA, but by chlorophyll and the dirt under their fingernails. There was playfully bickering. There were jobs to be assigned. There was discussion and debate. There was agreement, disagreement and the sharing of ideas. It was like the family picnic or holiday dinner, everyone happy to just be together sharing their common passion. We recognized them as kindred spirits and we knew we were a part of this family. Like long lost relatives, we belonged here. And I think they recognized us too. They welcomed and embraced us like we were family. Maybe the crazy relatives no one talked about, but family none the less. Now here we are, Co-Presidents of this little garden family. It’s an honor and a privilege to be here, and we hope to extend to a new group of garden enthusiasts those same feelings of belonging that we felt, as we continue to learn and grow and build upon the work of the many great gardeners who came before us.

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